Plot: What’s it about?
The inside world of an all female reform school can be tough, but the worst place of them all is the Pridemore Juvenile Facility For Girls. Within the walls of this institution lurk the most dangerous inmates of all, while the guards are even worse and that means almost constant vigilance is called for. This reform school is loaded with frustrated females and that means when tempers flare, inmates end up badly beaten and sometimes, even dead. But while some inmates want to kick ass, others just want a piece of it, especially Charlie (Wendy O. Williams) and her gang of lust-filled lesbians. As if all that wasn’t enough, the sadistic guards are always abusing the inmates somehow and since Warden Sutter (Sybil Danning) doesn’t care, it doesn’t seem as if the place will ever improve. This is a filth ridden, disgusting hellhole, but new inmates are forced to adapt to the cutthroat realm each and every day. In Reform School Girls, we watch a some new inmates are loosed into the general population, but can these new ladies hack it in this rough world, or will they just end up being hacked to pieces themselves?
I never even thought this one would see a release on DVD, let alone with a new anamorphic transfer and a couple cool supplements, but Reform School Girls has arrived. And of course, who else would have given this flick such a solid treatment than Anchor Bay, who loves to issue these cult flicks in cool editions. But I’ll discuss the disc specs a little later, right now I want to talk about Reform School Girls, which is one killer show. This is not the kind of movie that wins awards, garners critical praise, and wins over the masses, but it does have an audience and I am a proud member of that number. I know the whole “women in prison” genre is not looked upon in a good light by most, but Reform School Girls stands above the crowd, perhaps due to the switch to teens and the presence of Wendy O. Williams, from The Plasmatics. Now, Reform School Girls doesn’t try to make the “women in prison” genre legitimate by any means, it simply pokes fun at it and takes all the conventions to a new level. In other words, double the flesh and double the violence, all in the name of uberexploitation. I am so pleased to own this one on DVD and as such, I recommend this to all fans of exploitation, as it offers a wild and hilarious ride.
Since this flick takes all the usual “women in prison” tactics and expands upon them in liberal amounts, who better to stand at the wheel than Tom DeSimone? In addition to writing and directing Reform School Girls, DeSimone also worked on more than a few other exploitation movies, so he knew the ground before he arrived. I know a lot of you question what skills could be needed to make one of these movies, but if you’ve seen a lot of them, then you know some are good and some are very, very bad. As such, DeSimone and his experience within the genre help Reform School Girls, as he knows what the viewers want and then gives it to them, in massive doses. Other films directed by DeSimone include Wet Shorts, Heavy Equipment, Terror In The Jungle, Sons of Satan, Hell Night, Prison Girls, and How To Make A Homo Movie. The cast of Reform School Girls includes Wendy O. Williams (Candy Goes To Hollywood), Charlotte McGinnis (Hardcore), Pat Ast (Ted and Venus, Foul Play), Linda Carol (Back To The Beach, No Man’s Land), Darcy DeMoss (Can’t Buy Me Love, Teen Witch), and Sybil Danning (Chained Heat, The Prince and The Pauper).
Video: How does it look?
Reform School Girls is presented in a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. I knew this wouldn’t be a crystal clear and pristine looking image, but I was pleased with the effort here, which results in a fine overall transfer. There is a lot of grain at times, but that’s to be expected and in the end, it never messed up the image enough to complain much. The colors seem natural, although bright at times and of course, all those flesh tones look normal and lush, which is vital to this movie. I found no real issues with the contrast either, as detail is strong on the whole and black levels seem well balanced also. I think fans will be very pleased with the source print used as well, as it looks clean and show minimal debris and damage.
Audio: How does it sound?
Not a whole lot to talk about here, a basic mono track is used and while it isn’t memorable, it isn’t that bad either. I never detected any serious limitations here, as the elements seem in acceptable form, but the track never rises above the basic needed tasks. The music comes across in decent, but never impressive form, while the sound effects are a little better, though not by much. The dialogue is clean and well presented, never lost in the mix or distorted in the least. This disc also houses some English captions, in case you’ll need them.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes some talent files, a selection of behind the scenes photos, and the film’s theatrical trailer, but the best feature is still to come. An audio commentary with writer/director Tom DeSimone is also included and at times, humorist Martin Lewis chimes in to keep things on track. I was very taken with this track, as few films of this nature have been given them and that makes this one that much more interesting. Not the most informative commentary ever, but well worth a listen if you like the flick.
